Collapsible crate



March 6, 1928.

- 1,661,419 i c. FLAGSTAD 4 COLLAPSIBLE CRATE Filed June 12. 1926 4Sheets-Sheet 1 gwuvnfob CORNELL F LAGSTAD March 6, 1928.

C. FLAGSTAD CQLLAPSIBLE CRATE Filed June 12, 1926 4 Sheets-Sheet m ONgwuento'o CORNELL FLAGS-mo 11m my March 6; 1928.

c. FLAGSTAD GOLLABSIBLE CRATE Filed June 12. 1926 4 s -s t 5 CORNELLFLAGSTAD.

March 6, 1928.

C. FLAGSTAD COLLAPSIBLE CRATE Patented Mar. 6, 1928. v

UNITED STATES PATENT, OFFICE..-

CORNELL FLAGSTAD, F MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR OF NINETY-FIVBONE-HUNDBEDTHS TOTHE FOLDING CRATE 8c BOX COMPANY, OF MINNEAFOLIS,MINNESOTA, A CORPORATION OF MINNESOTA.

GOLLAPSIIBLE CRATE.

Application filed June 12, 1926. Serial No. 115,638

This invention relates to collapsible crates the respectivecharacters, AB C D E or shipping carriers, and the primary object and F and in thecrate indicated in Fig. 12

isto provide a comparatively simple and the correspondmg parts arereferred to as practical, yet highly efficient type of ship- A B C D Eand F 55 ping crate, especially constructed and adapt- The side, base,and cover sections of the ed for use in transporting wet batterles. andcrate are pre'lerably made up of crossed which may. when emptied ofitscontents, be slats nailed together, while the end sections quicklycollapsed. or knocked down, into (see Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 12), arepreferably a compact form for return shipment to the made up of singleslats 13, havlng cross 00 original consignor or shipperflFurther andcleats 14, and are hinged as at to the more specific objects willbedisclosed in the ends of the base, so as to fold down flat upon courseof the following specification, referthe base when the crate iscollapsed. The

euce being had to the accompanying, drawend sect ons 1), E, 1) and E arepreferably i i whi h; a narrower than the width of the crate, for l5 Fi1 is a perspective view of a set up the purpose of conserving materlal,butthe crate showing a preferred embodiment of crate shown 1n F1g. 5,being of a modified my invention." construction, requires that the endsections Fig. 2 is a top or plan view of the crate as D and E he wideenough to fill hetween shown in Fig. 1, but with the coverin its theside sections and interlock at their upper-'1 open position and with oneend section outer corncrs,w1th the side sections, by the f ld d i lockor corner latch devices shown inFigs.

Fig. 3 isa plan view of the crate, shown 9, 10, and 11. 7 in Fig. 1,when in its folded or collapsed Referring more specifically to the cratecondition. shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4, it may benoted Fig. 4 is asectional view. as on, the irthat the side sections B and C are hingedregular line H in Fig. 3. 1 to the edges of the baseA by respectivesetsFig. 5 isa plan view of a modified form of hinges 16 and 17, andthat thecover F otthe crate. A hinges, as at 18, to the side section B and Fig.6 is an enlargeddetail view of the closes toward the opposite section 0where so cover locking device usedin the crate. it is secured by thelatch Gr. The side sec' I Fig. .7 isan enlarged sectionaldetail'viewtions B and Care provided with integral showing the method of lockingthe crate end extensions 19, which serve as handles -by when collapsed,as in Fig. 4. which the crate maybe carried, and also Fig. 8 is a detailsection showing the same serve to support hinges 20 of end crosshars 86locking device and how utilized to lock the 21, which connect the sidesections A and 'B.

cover when the crate is set up. Those crossbars cause the side sectionsto I Figs. 9, 10, and 11 are enlarged perspecmaintain parallel planes atall times, with tive detail views of the end section locking respect toeach other, and also serve as stops devices employed in the cratestructure for the end sections which swing upwardly 90 shown in Fig. 5.against them. The hinges 16 are what I Fig. 12 is a perspective end viewof a conveniently term as spanning hinges, and crate similar to the oneshown in Fig. 1, but are so constructed that whenthe' crate is 001 showsa further modification in the end lapsed, as in Fig.4, the side sectionBwill latches. i be parallel with but spaced from the base A 96 Referringto the drawings more particuso as to provide room for the end sectionslarly and by reference characters, A desigbetween the base and thesidesection B. nates the bottom orbase section, of a crate All of thehinges 18 and 20each consists of having side sections 13 and C, endsections twostrap iron butts connected by a pintel, D and E, and acoveror top section F. In and although the 'pintels of the hinges 18 100 themodification shown'in Fig.5, thecorreand 20 011 the B' side ot the crateare in sponding crate sections are designated by alignment, it will benoted that as the bars 21 are above the edges of the side sections andthe cover F is below or between the upper ends of the side sections itis necessary to reverse the butts on the cover in order to etl'ect aproper closing of the crate as shown in Fig. 4. Y

lVben the end sections are considerably narrower than the width of thecrate, as above mentioned. they cannot engage the side sections A or Bto brace the crate in its rectangular or set up position, as is the casein Fig. 5. To provide the proper bracing, therefore. I have recessed thebars 21, as at 22, so that they will receive the end sections, when thelatter are swung up, and when in this position it will be obvious thatthe crate cannot be distorted from its set up position as the barsprovide a rigid bracing connection between the side and end sections. Itmay also be noted that the upper cleats 1% of the end sections. mayserve as convenient supports for the ends of the cover section. In themodification shown in Fig. 12. instead of recessing the bar 21 toreceive the end section D I provide the end section D with an angle-ironbracket the projecting flange of which has a notch to receive a detentor flange of an angle iron 24 secured upon the under side of the bar 21.lVith the two members 23 and 24 locked together, as when the end sectionD is held in its vertical position, it is obvious that the crate will bebraced in substantially the same manner as in Fig. 1. After the cover Fhas been opened the end section may be folded down to release the latch23-24.

It will be noted from Figs. 1, 2. 3, and 12 that the end sections D andE are provided with vertical extension H which extend substantiallyabove the tops of the crates proper. The object of these extensions istwo-fold, i. 0., to serve as a. warning to the crate handlers that thecrate should never be tipped or so loaded that the members H will be inany but an upright position; and. to prevent the crates from being piledparallel one on top of another thus increasing the danger of having acolumn of loaded crates tip over. The extensions will not, of course,prevent the crates from being stacked with the crates of each tiertransversely of the crates below it. as there is no great danger of aseries of crates so stacked to tip over. These precautions areconsidered as of primary importance in crates designed for shippingliquid containers such as batteries. for in such instances the tippingor tumbling of the crate may result in harmful as well as expensiveresults.

When the crate is collapsed a finger 25, on the cover F. engages a strap26 on the side section C. and thus prevents the folded crate frombuckling up in the middle. The cover is secured. both when the crate isset up and when collapsed, by the latch G comprising sliding bolts 27the extended or retracted positions of which are determined by springheld linger pieces "The construction ol the. members 27 and issubstantially identical with the. latch shown in Figs. 5 and (3 of a copcnding application. Ser. No. 12,974, tiled May 3. 192:). jointly by()scar A. Flagstad and myself. for collapsible crate, and will thereforenot here be described in detail or claimed. The method of emplo \'ingthe latch in the pro-cut instance. hrnvever. is of eonsideral'ilellllpOl'titllt't. and may be described as follows: tw'ecured upon theinner face of the side section C and at the upper edge thereof. are apair of substantially J shaped members or catches 29, one for each latchG. (See Figs. 1, 2. 2i, 4. 7, and 8). These hook shaped members 29 areso arranged that the bolts 27 may engage under them either when thecrate is set up. as in Figs. 1 and 8, or when the crate is collapsed, asin Figs. 4 and 7. In Fig. 5 the U-shaped loops 30 perform the samefunction in substantially the same way.

The modified crate shown in Fig. 5 is similar in many respects to thecrates above described. the following diilerenccs. however. heing notedin particular. As the end sections D and E of this crate are as long asthe width bet ween the side sections. the cross bars (like 21) areeliminated. and the end sections interlock. at their upper corners,directly with the side sections. to brace the crate and to limit theoutward swinging movements of the side and end sections to the verticalor upright positions with respect to the base when the crate is set upfor loading. The corner irons. for effecting this interlocking actionare shown particularly in Figs. 9, 10 and 11, and each consists of a.socket member 31, attached to the side section. and a tongue or latch32. attached to the end section. The angularly formed socket member isprovided with a substantially F shaped slotor socket 33. which receivesthe head 34 oil the tongue 32. Between the head and body of the member32 is a reduced neck portion which when it engages in the narrow portionof the slot 33, prevents the end sections from swinging out beyond theends of the side sections. and it is obvious that the head 34 also locksthe side sections to the ends. As the members 32 are nailed to the outerfaces of the end sections it will be seen that the heads 34 are pulledinto place and therefore. any inward pressure against the end sectionswill not have a tendency to loosen the members 32 or the nails whichsecure them to the end sections.

It may here be noted that the crate structures here shown are common inmany respects to the constructions shown in my copending application forcollapsible crate, Serial No. 54,792, filed September 5th, 1925,

A collapsible crate comprising abase, hav-.

ing side and end sections hinged thereto, and a cover hinged to one ofthe side sections, a latch member carried by the other side section toreceive a latch bolt carried by the cover, the construction of saidlatch member and bolt being such that they may be interlocked both whenthe crate is set up and when collapsed, and a catch carried by the covernear its hinged edge for interlocking engagement with an adjacent crateportions when the crate is collapsed. 7

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

CORNELL FLAGSTAD.

